NZIFST goes the extra mile on food sustainability

According to the organisers of the 2008 NZIFST conference which will be held in June in Rotorua, New Zealand, many people in the food industry are confused about what food sustainability means and how they can put it into practice.

Conference chairman David Powell says that food sustainability is an internationally consumer-driven trend.

“Our conference aims to show how food sustainability, as a policy and best practice, is vital for food exporters to remain competitive,” he says.

The organisers are hoping this year's conference will raise delegates’ understanding of what is actually meant by ‘food sustainability’ and with recent corn prices in the US driving up the price of groceries, many in the food industry are keen to get a clearer understanding of what sustainability is and what impact it will have on the long-term future of the sector.

The conference program will highlight current research, best practice and case studies of how New Zealand companies have implemented sustainable strategies. It will also look in depth at food miles, a controversial policy which looks at the environmental impact of transportation and food.

Food miles was developed in the UK as a way of measuring environmental sustainability but in recent times large UK supermarket chains have started labelling food in this way, which is causing alarm for NZ exporters.

Some are even suggesting that food miles be the internationally recognised standard for sustainability, but critics of the scheme have suggested that the policy is flawed and without academic rigour.

The food miles theory goes that the fewer miles food travels to get to market, the better it is for the environment. But organisers of NZIFST say that this is a simplistic and a dangerously faulty measure of environmental sustainability because it does not take into account the methods used in food production, manufacturing and processing, or modes of transport.

In a 2006 research report, from Lincoln University in New Zealand, studies looked at claims about food miles by comparing total energy used in food production in Europe and New Zealand.

The Lincoln University report states "that further study on the total carbon footprint is required, of which transport may or may not make a large contribution. However, food miles signals more than just carbon footprint. It also includes transport of virtual water, life cycle assessments, land use and the inefficiencies of moving similar food backwards and forwards over the same ground."

“At the conference we will address the issue of food miles by highlighting what is meant by food sustainability and accepted best practice,” says Powell.

The conference will be divided into three key sections: global perspective, local initiatives and where to from here?

Powells says that they have developed a three-day program that will inform delegates about the key drivers for sustainability.

“We must, as an industry, respond intelligently to food miles and its flawed assumptions.

“Food sustainability is a holistic policy that encompasses every aspect of the food industry. New Zealand is well positioned to gain vital export leverage if the industry adopts sustainability as best practice.

“For many companies, food sustainable policies and practices actually increase profit because waste is minimised and therefore costs are reduced. This is great not only for the environment and the consumer but for the company,” says Powell.